Valentine Surprise

I went to Utah County for a couple of days: visit the family, go to Jessica's shower, let the girls go to my mom's Valentine's Day party, get the oil changed.

Keith told me he had a valentine surprise for me that he'd give me Sunday. I come home Sunday around noon. Keith's still walking home from church. What do I find in my basement family room??? You'll never guess, so I'll tell you.

A treadmill! Yep. The room is all rearranged so it actually fits and looks kind of nice.

We'd talked about purchasing one, but it seemed months down the road to me.

Thanks Keith, you're the bomb!

Carrot Cake Goodness

Someone wanted this - so here it is. Happy baking!

Carrot Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups canola oil
4 eggs
4 cups peeled and grated carrots (4 or 5 large carrots)
1 cup coconut
Almond-Scented Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
Coconut, for sprinkling on the cake (optional)
Chopped walnuts, for sprinkling on the cake (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9-inch-round cake pans. Cut two 9-inch-diameter circles out of parchment paper or wax paper and place in the bottom of each pan. Spray again and dust with flour. Shake out the excess.
2. Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt onto a square of wax paper (or mix in a bowl) and set aside.
3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on low speed until well-blended. Mix in the dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in the carrots and coconut. The batter will be thick. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the layers around the edges with a knife. Carefully invert each layer by placing another rack directly over the layer and turning all upside down. Tap on the pan to loosen the layer. Carefully peel off the paper. Cool completely on the racks. Meanwhile, make the frosting, below.
5. To frost the cake, place one layer top side down on a cake plate. Spread with half the frosting. Place the second layer top side up on the frosting. Spread the remainder of the frosting on top of the cake. (No need to frost the side of the cake.) Sprinkle with coconut and walnuts, if desired.

Variation: Bake mini-cupcakes in mini-muffin tins and then frost the minis – fabulous! Bake minis about 15 minutes.

Almond-Scented Cream Cheese Frosting

3 cups powered sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl of an electric mixer. Add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and almond.
2. Beat until well-blended and smooth enough to spread. Avoid overbeating, with may make the frosting too soft.


from: The Food Nanny by Liz Edmunds